In February, I continued my conversations on global education with Lord Mayor of London Boris Johnson, Australia's Geoff Masters (CEO of Australian Council for Educational Research) and Susan Mann (CEO of Education Services Australia). I learned further about how technology is entering the classroom and how this is helping to broaden cross-cultural perspectives in education.

Once again it's back to the drawing board for effectively incorporating educational technology into the classrooms for those who need it most within LAUSD. Let us hope for the sake of the students, that this next LAUSD "task force" is made up of actual parties who exist outside its ivory tower as well.

Alongside the thousands of free apps going into schools, there has also developed an entirely different approach to technology, one that integrates technology with teacher lessons and provides teachers with extensive professional development and coaching.

The K-12 classroom is continually evolving in order to adapt to the times. It's important that teachers keep up-to-date with the latest helpful technology for their students and that parents understand the ramifications of that technology, too.

Creating policies and practices that give educators and families useful information about students to improve their learning is a monumental task. This work takes dedicated resources, dedicated time, and dedicated professionals -- lots of them.

Even as technology's past should make us wary of unsupported claims and premature enthusiasm, the future can be different. In all areas of technology other than education, a time of tinkering yields to a time of solid accomplishment. This can happen in education, too.

Investment in technology is on the increase. Some continue to claim it hurts the classroom. Others are more convinced it is transforming the classroom in a positive way. However, most now believe the goal must be about transforming the learning process.

As another academic year begins The Castle's shadow is bringing more and more Kafkaesque darkness to university campuses. That shadow continues to transform our places of higher learning into corporate enclaves in which mindless civility eclipses uncomfortable debate.